Rick Warren, the leader of the new-wave of American Evangelicals, was selected by Barack Obama to deliver the invocation at his inauguration, a role previously occupied by Billy Graham. This is a big deal because it signifies a huge culture shift in American Protestantism. For instance, before Warren Evangelicals were pro-business at the expense of the environment and wouldn't touch HIV/AIDS with a ten-foot pole. Warren and his generation, however, believe that protecting the environment is a biblical imperative (cf. creation, the flood story, etc.). Even more striking, Warren has raised millions and millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS work in Africa, which would have been an unthinkable thing for an evangelical preacher just a few years ago.
Another shift has to do with the ascendancy of a new church structure. His mega church, and the ones based on it, are really a collection of small cell groups that meet frequently. It's in these small groups where personal accountability, spiritual encounter and growth, and intimacy develop. In other words, going to his church you don't get lost in the mega-church crowd but instead experience fulfilling, intimate relationships with peers.
So this represents an important passing-of-the-torch in American religious life.
-t
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